EU lawmakers to steer discussions on therapeutic use of psychedelics

Seven EU parliamentarians have formed a new group to steer institutional discussions on the therapeutic application of psychedelics.

On Wednesday (24 May), an MEP Action Group for the Medical Use of Psychedelics was launched in combination with PAREA and PsychedelicsEUROPE, which aims to promote the development of EU policies and regulations for psychedelic-assisted treatments in the EU.

Despite the small number of members, it is “a historical event”, co-chair and Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba from the Socialist (S&D) group said during a launch event at the European Parliament.

In recent years, the number of clinical trials testing psychedelics such as psilocybin, MDMA and LSD for use in psychiatric conditions such as depression, drug dependency, and anorexia has risen dramatically.

Research results look promising, as alarm bells have been rung over worsening mental health across the EU, a trend observed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but exacerbated by successive lockdowns.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) figures from 2021 show that over 150 million people in the WHO European Region lived with a mental health condition, and only one in three people living with depression received the care they need.

The annual Health at a Glance report published in December 2022 by the European Commission together with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlighted the need for more effective treatment pathways for young people suffering from depression in particular. Half of young Europeans reported unmet mental health needs.

“Psychedelic therapies show promise in several neurological conditions,” Saliba said during the launch event, while David Nutt, neuropsychopharmacology professor at Imperial College London and chair of PAREA, nodded his head in approval. 

According to Nutt, psychedelics “disrupt ongoing thought loops, which are common and destructive, and in many ways are the underpinning processes of disorders like depression, PTSD, and addiction”.

“By disrupting cortical activity [in the brain], we disrupt the thinking processes, and people can kind of escape from the cognitive controls, which have been holding them tight into those illnesses,” the professor explained.

Saliba underlined that “these therapies require thoughtful, coordinated policies and infrastructure to ensure safe, equitable and also effective deployment”.

“This is where the European Parliament steps in,” Saliba said. 

Health Brief: A trip into EU health

With mental health issues growing across Europe, psychedelics research and therapy are entering EU policymaking after having shown promising results for treating disturbs such as depression, PTSD, and anxiety.

The goals

The group’s aim is to guide policy discourse on the topic, advocating for the safe and regulated use of psychedelics. 

“We aim to build together robust evidence-based protocols and guidelines for psychedelic therapies,” the Maltese MEP said, also mentioning strategic partnerships. 

“We strive to transform mental health care and provide hope, provide relief for millions of our citizens,” he added. 

But hesitancy around the therapeutic uses of psychedelics remains a roadblock.

Mikuláš Peksa, Czech MEP from the Greens and co-chair of the MEP group on psychedelics, told EURACTIV that “people who are not aware of the scientific data and naturally often act with prejudices, even sometimes being suspicious about what could be my motivation”.

However, he added that positive results from clinical trials are starting to shift people’s perspectives.

“It’s more a question of how far will we be able to spread the word in order to be able to deliver,” he said.

The EU executive is expected to present its mental health strategy soon, as announced by Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in her annual State of the Union address last September.

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]

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